Author: Janet Dawson

Alfred’s Book of Monsters by Sam Streed

~ Janet Dawson ~ Leave a comment

Published by Charlesbridge

Image result for alfred's book of monsters

Image result for alfred's book of monsters sam streed

Summary:  Alfred loves looking at the terrible creatures in his monster book, like the Nixie and the Black Shuck.  What he doesn’t love are the delightful tea times his aunty provides every day. Finally, Alfred hits upon a solution.  He writes a letter, puts it in an envelope, and leaves it at the entrance of the town cemetery. The next day, there are a few additional guests for tea, “And they all had a terrible time.”  The last page shows a dazed and disheveled aunty and a smiling Alfred, still reading his book. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Hand this to those kindergarteners who ask for a scary book.  The illustrations have a gothic feel to them, and Alfred is a worthy successor to Where the Wild Things Are’s Max.  

Cons:  I would have enjoyed seeing more than three monsters from Alfred’s book.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Boy-Crazy Stacey (The Baby-Sitters Club series) by Gale Galligan, based on the novel by Ann M. Martin

~ Janet Dawson ~ 10 Comments

Published by Graphix

Image result for boy-crazy stacey gale

Summary:  When Stacey and Mary Ann are invited to go to Sea City with the Pike family as mother’s helpers, they can’t for a two-week vacation at the Jersey shore.  But when Stacey develops a massive crush on Scott the lifeguard, Mary Ann gets stuck with all the work. Not surprisingly, Scott breaks Stacey’s heart, and further tween-age drama ensues.  Mary Ann and Stacey eventually patch up their friendship, and the two of them meet a boy babysitter and his cousin, who are closer in age than the lifeguard. A fun double date (complete with first kiss in the Tunnel of Love) leaves Stacey feeling good about her trip. 176 pages; grades 3-5.

Pros:  Long-time blog readers know that I find the Baby-Sitters Club books as irresistible as the Jersey shore on a hot July day.  The non-graphic version of this book has always been one of my favorites (I’m not too proud to admit it was first published shortly before my 25th birthday…), and I was excited to see it was next up on the Graphix reissues.  It’s a good retelling of the original, with artwork that perfectly captures the Jersey shore.  

Cons:  I thought I was just being nitpicky with my irritation over the way Gale Galligan draws open mouths, but then I saw an Amazon review that mentioned the same thing.  When she doesn’t draw teeth, it looks like a brown blob on the character’s face.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Image result for gale galligan babysitters club

Smell My Foot! (Chick and Brain, book 1) by Cece Bell

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Candlewick

Image result for smell my foot chick brain

Image result for smell my foot chick brain

Summary:  Chick is a polite chick who meets the more literal-minded Brain.  In a series of humorous episodes, Chick tries to teach Brain manners, pretty much to no avail. What Brain really wants is for everyone to smell his foot.  Turns out, it smells pretty great…at least one of them does. Even Spot the dog agrees. What Spot really wants, though, is to lure Chick to his house so he can have a nice chicken dinner.  Fortunately, Brain is there to save the day…and it turns out his other foot doesn’t smell quite as good. 72 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Non-stop goofiness, a graphic novel format, and a character in heart-covered boxer shorts with a big brain sitting atop his head: I predict this new series will be flying off the shelves.

Cons:  I still haven’t gotten invited to dinner with husband-and-wife-children’s-book-superstars Tom Angleberger and Cece Bell.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers by Celia C. Pérez

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Published by Kokila

Image result for strange birds celia perez amazon

Summary:  When wealthy Lane DiSanti is facing a summer of family separation and boredom, she decides to form a club.  She reaches out to three other girls who are strangers to her: Ofelia, whose mother works for Lane’s grandmother; Aster, who is nervous about starting school after years of schooling with her grandfather; and Cat, whose passion for birds has gotten her kicked out of a girls’ club called the Floras.  The girls band together to help Cat in her quest to get rid of the hat made of real bird feathers that the Floras have used for years. The girls begin a campaign of civil disobedience, with each one facing consequences unique to her situation and influenced by her heritage (Cat and Ofelia are Cuban American and Aster is Bahamaian American).  Told in alternating third-person points of view, the story follows the girls through increasingly daring pranks and the end shows that even getting caught and being separated at summer’s end won’t be enough to slow them down. 384 pages; grades 4-7.

Pros:  In her follow-up to The First Rule of Punk, Celia Pérez has written a story full of girl power and interesting insights about racism and privilege that could possibly be in line for some awards.  The varying perspectives and quirky characters reminded me of Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo and Hello, Universe by Erin Estrada Kelly.

Cons:  Clearly I’m in the minority, but I wasn’t a huge fan of either of the aforementioned books (that is one bitter review I wrote of Raymie Nightingale), and I didn’t love this book as much as I thought I would based on The First Rule of Punk.  I liked and appreciated it, but it took me awhile to get into it, I had some trouble keeping the characters straight, and I felt like the ending could have been more satisfying.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Fly! by Mark Teague

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Published by Beach Lane Books

Image result for fly mark teague

Image result for fly mark teague

Summary:  A young bird and its parent engage in wordless dialogue in this story about getting up the courage to leave the nest.  After feeding its offspring endless worms, the parent is ready for the youngster to fly. But they have different ideas about this, especially when the little bird leaves the nest and tumbles straight to the ground.  Readers see their communication as pictures in cartoon bubbles; the older bird tries to convince with pictures of soaring eagles and flights to Florida, while the younger one imagines riding in an airplane, traveling in a hot-air balloon, and biking to Florida.  Finally, the real threat of becoming an owl’s dinner convinces the kid to try again, and both birds end up happily back in their nest as the moon rises over them.

Pros:  I learned about this book in a recent edition of one of my favorite Caldecott predictors, and while I’m not sure it’s quite medal-worthy, it is a lot of fun.  Sometimes wordless books can be confusing, but this is one that even the youngest readers will enjoy.

Cons:  The parent seemed overly indulgent of its slightly bratty child.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Dasher by Matt Tavares

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Candlewick

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Image result for dasher tavares amazon

Summary:  Long ago, before there were eight flying reindeer, Santa’s sled was pulled by a single horse named Silverbell.  Meanwhile, Dasher is living a miserable existence in  a traveling circus with the rest of her reindeer family.  She loves the children, but hates the crowds and heat, dreaming of the snowy landscape of her mother’s stories. An open gate one night provides her a chance for escape.  Guided by the North Star, she eventually meets up with Santa and the aging Silverbell, and helps him with his deliveries. (She can fly! Who knew?) They wind up at the North Pole, where Dasher makes a wish for her family to be together again.  Who better to grant a wish than Santa, and before long Dasher is joined by Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Vixen. And the rest is Christmas history. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  It’s not too early to start thinking about those holiday storytimes, and this will make an excellent addition to the lineup.  Matt Tavares’s illustrations are magical and kids will be captivated by Dasher and the story of how the reindeer got to the North Pole.  Pair this with Red and Lulu, also by Matt Tavares.

Cons:  The story is a little long for the youngest listeners.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Skulls! by Blair Thornburgh, illustrated by Scott Campbell

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Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Image result for skulls blair thornburgh

Image result for skulls blair thornburgh

Summary:  It may seem alarming to think that every person you’ve ever seen has a skull, but this is a good thing.  Skulls might look a little scary, but they protect our brains. The holes in our skulls allow us to see, hear, and eat.  They give our faces shapes, allow us to open and close our jaws, and hold our teeth in place. By the time you reach the last page, you will be thanking your skull for all it does and shouting along with the girl in the book, “I love my skull!”  Includes a page of cool skull facts. 40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Pair this book with Kim Norman’s Give Me Back My Bones! to make an excellent story hour for Halloween or any time.

Cons:  In this age of concussions, some safety tips for protecting your skull would have made a nice addition.

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Stargazing by Jen Wang, color by Lark Pien

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Published by First Second

Image result for stargazing jen wang

Image result for stargazing jen wang

Summary:  Christine’s not sure how she feels when Moon and her mother move into the cottage on Christine’s family’s property.  Moon is an artist who does her own thing and doesn’t fit in with Christine’s family or their Chinese American community.  But she also opens up new possibilities for Christine, introducing her to K-pop, nail polish, and dancing. Christine eventually gets to see a more vulnerable side of Moon, learning how Moon’s beloved father died when she was six, and how Moon sometimes has visions of celestial beings that she believes will one day take her away.  When Christine gets jealous of Moon’s popularity and plays a mean prank, Moon collapses and the truth about her visions comes out. Christine feels terrible about what she’s done to her friend, but by the end, they have learned to forgive each other. Includes an author’s note telling of her own childhood experiences that inspired this book.  224 pages; grades 3-6.

Pros:  A beautiful graphic friendship story that will appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier, Jennifer Holm, and Victoria Jamieson.  Both Moon and Christine are multidimensional characters who will resonate with many middle grade readers.

Cons:  The artwork wasn’t quite as spectacular as Wang’s The Prince and the Dressmaker.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.

Thurgood by Jonah Winter, illustrated by Bryan Collier

~ Janet Dawson ~ 1 Comment

Published by Schwartz and Wade

Image result for thurgood jonah winter

Image result for thurgood jonah winter

Summary:  Thurgood Marshall’s path to legal greatness began at the age of six, when he convinced his parents to legally change his name from Thoroughgood to Thurgood.  Growing up in 1920’s Baltimore, he saw injustice on a daily basis; at home, he learned from his father to back up his statements with factual evidence. After leading his high school debate team, Thurgood went on to college and then to law school at Howard University.  He became a lawyer for the NAACP, and argued 29 cases before the Supreme Court, including Brown v. Board of Education.  The book ends with that decision, simply mentioning on the last page that Marshall became the first black Supreme Court justice in U.S. history.  Includes an author’s note with more information about Thurgood Marshall’s Supreme Court appointment and career. 40 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  A powerful narrative about Thurgood Marshall’s life, presenting much of the information in legal terms (“Fact:”; “Verdict:”; “Injustice:”).  Bryan Collier’s illustrations boldly bring to life many dramatic scenes from Marshall’s life, in the courtroom and in unjust, sometimes dangerous settings growing up in Baltimore and traveling through the South.  

Cons:  The author’s note states, “A forty-page picture book such as this cannot possibly convey the magnitude of his legacy”, yet there are no resources for additional research.

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Manhattan: Mapping the Story of an Island by Jennifer Thermes

~ Janet Dawson ~ 2 Comments

Published by Harry N. Abrams

Image result for manhattan jennifer thermes

Image result for manhattan jennifer thermes

Summary:  From Henry Hudson’s discovery in 1609 to Hurricane Sandy in 2012, this history looks at the changes made to the island of Manhattan.  Before the arrival of the Europeans, the island was inhabited by the Lenape who called it Mannahatta, meaning “islands of many hills”.  That landscape changed in the early 19th century, when city planners created a grid of roads that flattened hills and straightened curves.  When life in the grid became too congested, Central Park was created to bring some green space to the city. Blizzards, fires, skyscrapers, and bridges have all changed the look of the city over the years, and with close to 4 million people living or working in New York City every week, you can be sure that those changes will continue.  Includes an afterword; an extensive timeline crammed onto a single page; and a list of books, websites, and museums with more information. 64 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros:  As she did in Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail, Jennifer Thermes has created a picture book featuring beautiful maps that show a changing landscape.  There are plenty of other interesting illustrations as well, but the maps of Manhattan, all with the same shape, but gradually evolving over time, really tell the story of the city’s history.  Plan on putting aside a substantial chunk of time to enjoy this book in its entirety.

Cons:  I was surprised there was no mention of 9/11, except as an entry in the timeline.

If you would like to buy this book on Amazon, click here.